Thank you so much for using Orca and for your continued support! ❤️
We shipped two releases today! If you missed it, check out the v1.4.232 release notes too. Highlights include Manual / Auto / Yolo agent permissions, OpenCode 2 in native chat, a better phone composer with file attachments and inline skills, smoother SSH recovery, and a smaller app with faster Mac updates.
Phone updates: Updating Orca on your desktop also updates the app on your connected phone—the phone loads it directly from your desktop.
The short version
- SSH & remote workspaces: Connecting to an SSH host works when neither machine can download Node.js, with a one-click mirror Orca remembers and retries. Older Windows hosts (Windows 10 1809 and Server 2019) can run Orca's server, and tunnels recover when a port is held by an old SSH connection.
- Remote servers in Settings: Remote Orca Servers is one list instead of six sections, and SSH hosts can be removed in bulk and stay removed. Orca tells you when the same server was saved twice, and adding a server you already saved updates it instead.
- Phone: Creating a workspace from the phone is much faster, the workspace list stays in step with the desktop, and session tab icons keep their size beside long titles.
- Editor: Orca refuses to save over changes made to a file on disk that you haven't seen, and Reload and Undo behave predictably afterwards.
- Everyday polish: Projects with the same name on different machines keep short names and show which machine they're on. Long saved conversations use far less memory when Orca scans them for Session History.
Product experience
SSH, managed servers & remote
SSH hosts connect in more situations, Remote Orca Servers is one clear list, and edits always go to the machine that owns the workspace.
- One-click Node.js mirror when neither machine can download Node by @nwparker in #31069
- Retry with the saved Node.js mirror once a running connect fails the same way by @nwparker in #31089
- Ship node-pty's winpty backend so Windows 1809 / Server 2019 hosts can deploy by @nwparker in #31056
- A managed tunnel whose forward can't start takes the stdio bridge, and reclaims a port an old ControlMaster holds by @nwparker in #31062
- A legacy relay restarted at the same socket never takes over an open tab by @nwparker in #31068
- Detect Linux libraries reliably across SSH and WSL by @nwparker in #31077
- Remote Orca Servers: one list instead of six sections; SSH Hosts: bulk remove that stays removed by @nwparker in #31082
- Adding a server you already saved updates it instead of saving it twice by @nwparker in #31080
- Say which saved servers are the same machine paired twice, and how to fix it by @nwparker in #31100
- Say "Orca on " instead of "managed server" in the UI by @nwparker in #31099
- A moved SSH host lists once in a project's Available Hosts by @nwparker in #31064
- New local projects never dedupe onto an SSH project at the same path by @nwparker in #31055
- PR/MR worktree base refuses SSH projects named only by executionHostId by @nwparker in #31054
- Worktree create sends the host --project/--host selected by @nwparker in #31066
- Editor writes and unqualified removals route by the rows, never the Active Server focus by @nwparker in #31036
- No owner route reads the Active Server focus, so a local row never routes to the focused server by @nwparker in #31058
- A damaged browser file list disables only the browser client, not the remote server by @nwparker in #31025
- A live orcad's browser helper pauses for macOS desktop installs by @nwparker in #31059
Phone
Create workspaces from the phone much faster, and keep the phone's workspace list and session tabs accurate.
- Prepare the worktree checkout while the new-workspace form is open by @AmoabaKelvin in #31167
- Phone list resends lost option changes, trusts the feed's row facts, and retries a failed feed read by @Jinwoo-H in #31088
- Keep session tab icons full size beside long titles by @AmoabaKelvin in #31169
Workspaces, sidebar & tabs
Same-named projects on different machines are easy to tell apart, and the sidebar's agent status and visibility settings stay accurate.
- Keep project names short and show their machine by @nwparker in #28250
- One agent phase history, so a compaction raises no unread and a title-started turn pushes its finish by @Jinwoo-H in #31103
- Visibility settings refresh workspace rows; pre-gap paired-server answers stay unverifiable by @Jinwoo-H in #31106
Editor, files & Markdown
Saving no longer overwrites changes made on disk behind your back, and previews and renames act on the right file.
- Refuse saves that would overwrite unnoticed disk changes by @nwparker in #30417
- Disk-checked save follow-ups: repeatable stale reloads, Markdown whitespace, Undo of Reload by @nwparker in #31113
- Markdown preview of a terminal-opened file reads with its source tab's grant by @nwparker in #31060
- A rename retargets only editors whose own owner is the renaming host by @nwparker in #31091
Browser
Browser screenshots from an SSH host are checked when they're taken and when they're answered.
Performance & reliability
Long saved conversations no longer take several times their size in memory while Orca indexes them.
Relay service
The hosted relay keeps desktops in their own region and spreads traffic evenly while it is updated.
- Give region-correction reconnects and roll re-placements the in-region reserve fallback by @Jinwoo-H in #31042
- Move director traffic in two steps so a deploy does not land on one instance by @Jinwoo-H in #31051
- Let the same-cap trust probe outlast load-balancer warm-up by @Jinwoo-H in #31067
Tests, CI & maintenance
Faster, lighter builds and checks; the new layout and sidebar work remains behind disabled build switches.
- Run cell-flags and reserve-watch on the paid runner pool by @Jinwoo-H in #31024
- Keep Mac qualification runs out of the release build's concurrency group by @nwparker in #31031
- Build Windows alongside Mac and preserve signing quota by @nwparker in #31032
- Cut end-to-end typecheck memory with Bun by @nwparker in #31046
- Halve CLI compile memory with Bun typechecking by @nwparker in #31043
- Stop the cold-authority scope test depending on the clock by @Jinwoo-H in #31098
- Shared switch-on fixtures so 71 layout tests pass with main owning the layout by @Jinwoo-H in #31076
- A test-only switch-on server template that packaging refuses by @Jinwoo-H in #31097
- No empty extra terminal tab from an old saved terminal record (dark, layout-owner build only) by @Jinwoo-H in #31045
- Agent titles from one status batch reach main as one rename (dark, layout-owner build only) by @Jinwoo-H in #31048
- Main sends one layout update per action, with only what changed (dark, layout-owner build only) by @Jinwoo-H in #31109
- Same-id workspaces on two hosts sort, nest and stay retained on their own; nested groups and project order hold in host sections (dark switch) by @Jinwoo-H in #31111
- A read Done no longer hides a pane that is still Working in Smart (dark switch) by @Jinwoo-H in #31114
- Update WeChat QR code for group 13 by @AmethystLiang in #31052
Full Changelog: v1.4.232...v1.4.233